Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese soccer superstar, and Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, were among the prestigious guests at a lavish White House dinner hosted by US President Donald Trump on Tuesday. The dinner was held in honor of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is visiting the United States.
Ronaldo, who currently plays for the Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr, has been part of a wave of aging players attracted to the country’s ambitious spending spree on soccer stars despite its controversial human rights record. At 40 years old, Ronaldo’s contract with Al Nassr is set to end this summer, but his presence at the White House dinner marked an important moment in the growing ties between Saudi Arabia and the world of international sports.
As the dinner began, Ronaldo took his seat near the head of the table just moments before President Trump and the Saudi Crown Prince entered. Trump, during his pre-dinner speech, made a lighthearted remark about his son Barron Trump, who is a big fan of Ronaldo. “You know, my son is a big fan of Ronaldo,” Trump said, adding that Barron, 19, had the opportunity to meet the legendary player. “I think he respects his father a little bit more now, just the fact that I introduced you,” Trump quipped.
Ronaldo was not the only soccer-related guest at the dinner. FIFA President Gianni Infantino also attended the event, ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which the United States is co-hosting. Ronaldo, who recently secured Portugal’s qualification for the tournament, confirmed that next year’s World Cup will be “definitely” his last appearance in the global competition.
Another notable guest was Elon Musk, whose presence signaled the apparent mending of his relationship with President Trump. Musk, who has had a tumultuous history with Trump, was seen chatting with fellow guests at a candlelit table, separate from Trump’s. The two had previously fallen out after Musk criticized Trump’s spending bill and made comments related to Trump’s connections to the late Jeffrey Epstein. However, their relationship appeared to have been repaired, as Musk had accompanied Trump on a trip to Saudi Arabia earlier in May.
At the dinner, Trump also praised the Saudi Crown Prince as a “man of leadership.” The President, who has faced criticism for his ties with the Saudi government, also defended the Crown Prince over the 2018 murder of Jamal Khashoggi, the Saudi journalist and dissident.
